


Particles of Emerald and Light

by Sugar_and_Salt



Series: Dear my Dear 2019 [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mild Gore, Mutilation, Sirens, a halloween fairytale so to say, alternative universe, fairytale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 20:30:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21042326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/pseuds/Sugar_and_Salt
Summary: They say that sirens don't talk because their voices are so enchanting, so vibrant and beautiful, that it might just drive people insane.Chanyeol becomes the first human to ever hear a siren's voice.





	Particles of Emerald and Light

**Author's Note:**

> Aaah, this idea has been haunting me for months!  
It's based on [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NExVVCRtjoM) song, which might just be the audio-representation of LSD gone horribly wrong, but that's what you can find on my phone *lol*  
Anyway, I hope you have fun reading this gentle little Halloween fic~!

It is said that sirens have voices so haunting that they could enchant every human being being with ease.

So dazzling, so vibrant, so emotional... that it might just drive people insane.

* * *

Water reflections rippled above his head, patterns of light obscuring and liquefying the world above. They were beautiful and captivating, ever-changing and moving like they had a life of their own. A dazzling and organic border separating two worlds, lasting and yet fragile. Fragile or just forgiving? Those were thoughts and questions crossing Chanyeol's mind while he moved through the water, feeling the pressure envelop him, watching the fish skirt around him as he was looking for rare plants and corals to sample.

Being underwater and away from the cacophony of noise that humans brought with them always put him into a strangely somber, muted state of mind. It was hard to put into words, but something about it was frail and precious in and of itself. Just like the water reflections he was currently breaking through, exposing himself to sunlight and fresh air, allowing his senses to be flooded with loud, albeit comfortingly familiar impressions.

He felt the surface break next to him where Jongdae rose as well, grimacing at the onslaught of sensations he wasn't used to yet.

Jongdae was still considered a wild siren - largely unfamiliar to humankind, slightly distrustful and somewhat alien and unpredictable in his behaviour. He was still very much in tune with the ocean and everything living in it, however, which made him an irreplaceable asset to have around. The closer creatures like him got to humans, the more they gradually lost their special connection to the ocean, so having a wild siren take enough of an interest in Chanyeol to help them had been incredibly fortunate.

"Well, that was a successful trip if I've ever seen one," Chanyeol burst out as soon as he was free of the helmet, happy to have his voice back. He ruffled his hair, grimacing at the damp, sweaty feeling, and submerged his head just long enough to properly soak them.

There was water clinging to every strand and lash when he came up again, and yet Chanyeol knew he'd never get close to looking as beautiful as the siren watching him attentively, a quiet fondness pooling in his eyes. It was the type he'd only show when they were alone, and even then it would be a hesitant, careful type of affection. He really was different from the sirens Chanyeol usually saw walking down the streets, their prosthetic heels clicking on the ground as the only thing giving them away. Something about Jongdae seemed guarded at all times.

"Thanks for the help, as always," Chanyeol said, placing the helmet on the edge of the pool. He always made sure to sound like he meant it, because he did. "So many samples... I'm pretty excited about the blue coral."

There was something unreadable to Jongdae's expression as he watched Chanyeol place his hands on the tiles, heaving himself out of the water. Chanyeol didn't see it so when a strong hand grabbed his ankle, he yelped, voice breaking comically. The hand disappeared so he could turn around, sitting on the edge of the pool, feet still dangling in the water.

"Oh god, don't do this," Chanyeol breathed out, dramatically palming his chest. "You'll give me a heart attack."

Jongdae only looked at him petulantly, tugging off Chanyeol's neon yellow fins. There was a sense of impatience and embarrassment to it, and the other wouldn't meet his eye while tossing the fins to the poolside, making room for himself between Chanyeol's legs. Without as much as a glance, Jongdae's surprisingly tanned arms came to a rest on his left thigh, where he crossed them and put his head on top. There was nothing sexual about it - even though Chanyeol's body opportunistically disagreed - and the gesture was enough to make him shudder. Mistaking his reaction for discomfort, Jongdae let go immediately, but Chanyeol held him there with a palm between his shoulder blades.

"No, please stay," Chanyeol muttered in response to the fleeting, uncertain look thrown his way. "I'm not cold. And I'm not going anywhere."

Jongdae's grasp of their language was limited, but Chanyeol had long figured out that the other was slightly self-conscious about his naturally cold, clammy skin. He also knew how much Chanyeol's own warmth affected him, so he tugged off his gloves to aimlessly run a palm over the other's back, playing with the wet hair in his nape. A small sigh ran through his body as he seemed to subtly lean into the touch, skin gradually warming.

This, right then and there, was probably the closest Jongdae ever got to relaxing.

"You know, I can just move to a room with a pool," Chanyeol suggested, leaning back on his free palm. "You could have a room of your own, too-"

Jongdae immediately shook his head, muscles rippling beneath his skin, tensing up again. Chanyeol lowered his voice even further into a gentle hum.

"Alright, it was just a suggestion. Just an offer. I know you don't want to choose land over sea indefinitely."

Jongdae's grip on his thigh tightened, and sometimes, Chanyeol felt as lost as during the first time they'd met.

"Is it because you love the ocean and don't want to lose it? Is it because you hate humans?"

At this, Jongdae finally moved, small, sturdy fingers digging into Chanyeol's sides as his eyes flickered up to meet his, betraying a glimpse of emotions too complex to interpret. An age-old conflict, a fine swirl of sadness stark against milky resignation.

It made Chanyeol ache with the yearning to _ understand_. But just like every other siren, tail or mechanical legs, land or sea, Jongdae refused to utter a single word.

* * *

Dark clouds were hanging in the sky and Jongdae kept staring at them, looking wary and unsettled.

"It'll be fine," Chanyeol assured him, tugging at the straps securing his tools to his hips. "We won't go far, and even if the weather does turn against us, we'll be back before you know it. You can stay over at my place, just for today. I've moved to a room with a really deep bathtub and- Jongdae?"

At the mention of his name, the siren shot him a distracted look. Chanyeol sighed.

"You weren't listening at all, were you?"

A slightly confused look was all he got in reply and Chanyeol reached for his helmet, forcing himself to smile.

"Let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back-"

The rest of the sentence was knocked out of his lungs when he suddenly had an armful of Jongdae.

Nobody had told Chanyeol what it meant to have a siren nosing into the crook of his neck, rubbing up to his naked skin like a cat. There had never been a need to; even when it happened for the first time, Chanyeol had known right away that this was an intimate gesture, something very much on par with a kiss. It was a rare display of affection that never failed to make Chanyeol feel fuzzy and enamoured. For a moment, he allowed himself to fall into it, allowed Jongdae to impatiently tug down his zipper until the side of his neck was bared enough for them to feel skin on skin. It was obvious that the other was trying to distract him and there was certainly a tinge of urgency to it. Chanyeol pressed him close, grip tight over the fluttering muscles as he placed a long, lasting kiss to his neck. Jongdae sighed, a small, voiceless sound. Chanyeol knew that sirens had a voice, everyone knew that. Forcing it out by surprising or hurting them was considered cruel, of course, but a part of him had always wondered whether he'd be able to coax a sound out of Jongdae through different means...

Not today though.

He pulled away, keeping Jongdae at distance by a steady grip on his shoulders.

"It will be fine," he said slowly, but surely, ignoring the way Jongdae grimaced.

"You told me many plants behave differently when it rains, right? Who, if not us, would be suited to take a look?"

There were still doubts on his face, and despite the wary feeling growing in his stomach, Chanyeol put on a determined front.

"They forecasted nothing but some light rain, anyway. You can stay behind if you don't feel well, of course. I'm not going to hold it against you. I really won't."

He meant it, and Jongdae hesitated, obviously fighting an inner battle. Whatever the outcome was, he grabbed Chanyeol's upper arm before he could leave, insisting on tagging along.

Chanyeol smiled, pressed a fleeting kiss to his cheek and put on the helmet. Immediately, all sounds were dulled out and soon, the tiles made way for the ocean, the familiar sea of turquoise slightly murkier than usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jongdae's tail glint in every shade of green imaginable despite the lack of sun rays reaching them. He really was a gem of the ocean, Chanyeol thought.

It was thanks to that glinting tail that Chanyeol didn't lose him immediately when the water around them grew violent without warning. He'd been out during storms, but never had he felt the ocean around him pull at his limbs so aggressively, so unerringly. He saw shades of bright green and reached out, getting a hold of Jongdae, who frantically clung to his back, tail whipping in panic. Chanyeol could do nothing but hold on, holding his helmet in place while Jongdae protected his equipment as the ocean tossed them from left to right like a rabid dog, before ultimately pulling them down. Chanyeol grabbed the arms around his chest tightly as the world dissolved in blurs of green and blue, with fleeting specks of green.

* * *

He came to when his helmet was ripped off none too gently. The air hitting his face was so humid that for a drowsy moment, he thought he was still underwater. The thick, salty and yet oddly sweet air filled his lungs though, fueling his greedy body. Someone was patting his cheek repeatedly. Opening his eyes burnt, but Chanyeol allowed stray tears to aid him.

Jongdae. Jongdae was looking at him, and he seemed highly distraught.

Only then did the reality slowly trickle in. His cheek was mashed against stone, but it weren't the usual, familiar tiles of the research facility.

The room they were in was spacious and made of a foreign-looking white stone that shimmered in an unseen light source. He was lying at the edge of what seemed to be a pool. It had to be, with Jongdae being so close.

Carefully, Chanyeol sat up.

"Where are we?"

His voice echoed through the room, and Jongdae flinched, putting two fingers to his lips.

Confused, Chanyeol lowered his voice, regarding Jongdae carefully.

"Are you hurt?"

Jongdae shook his head, but his hand clawed into Chanyeol's lower arm, brimming with barely concealed... panic. Yes, there was something running deeper than the usual tension, something wild flickering in the other's eyes. He kept gesturing upwards, movements as urgent as his gaze.

"Up? You want to go up? Wait, are we below sea level?"

Jongdae nodded, and Chanyeol looked around his surroundings with new-found awe.

"I've never heard of this place - did you bring me here?"

Jongdae shook his head and tugged at Chanyeol, frustrated tears brimming in the corner of his eyes, causing Chanyeol to temporarily cast aside his burning curiosity.

"What's wrong?"

Another gesture pointing upwards.

"You want to leave?"

Finally, Jongdae nodded, a ray of hope shining through the despair.

Chanyeol looked around the room, at the marvelous carvings and foreign symbols lining the walls.

"Shouldn't we explore this place?"

Again, Jongdae shook his head, going as far as forming a cross with his arms, and Chanyeol lifted his palms in a feeble attempt to calm him down.

"Alright, alright, we'll leave. Okay?"

Another nod.

Chanyeol got to his feet, fixing his fins and the helmet to the equipment on his back as he took in the room. There was a narrow pool lining the edge of the room and branching off, easily deep enough for Chanyeol to submerge himself in, but there were also two ornamented doors, clearly made for humans. How strange.

"Do you know how to get out of here?"

At this, Jongdae dropped his gaze, shaking his head. He made a gesture of stroking the water surface, only to lift his palm with a meaningful look.

"The water level... used to be higher?" Chanyeol guessed, and Jongdae nodded.

Growing frustrated, Chanyeol ruffled his hair.

"You know, I feel like you know a lot about this place. Speaking would be _ really _useful now. Are you sure you can't make an exception?"

Immediately, Jongdae placed a palm over his mouth, looking defensive, and Chanyeol sighed.

"I see. Alright, we'll get out of here regardless."

He knelt down to briefly touch the other's cheek - to which Jongdae responded by closing his eyes, leaning into it - and then he made his way to the door closest to him. It turned out that the room behind it also had pools lining the borders and travelling through the room, allowing Jongdae to follow him.

"What is this place, anyway?"

Jongdae only shook his head, refusing to answer.

"It seems to be really old."

Chanyeol didn't expect a reply, but being around Jongdae had given him the habit of saying his thoughts out loud. There was definitely something otherworldly to these rooms. Despite everything being abandoned, the stone looked polished and clean, emitting the softest light.

"Ah," Chanyeol muttered, suddenly pausing. "That's what's so strange."

Jongdae shot him a questioning look, the tip of his tail anxiously flicking through the water surface.

"Nothing's alive here," Chanyeol explained. "No animals, no plants, not even dirt - there's just _ nothing_."

As he said it, a small, uncomfortable feeling seemed to grow in his stomach. Maybe Jongdae was right. Maybe they really shouldn't be here.

The next room was even larger, and there were images finely carved into the walls, lined with dark blue paint.

They were simplistic drawings of people. People sitting, staring at a dark sky, facing pitch black, equally simplistic waves. People standing around a source of light, which actually gleamed, eerily reminiscent of the scales covering Jongdae's tail.

Chanyeol was growing more anxious with every intake of the thick, sweet air. Something was off about these drawings, about this place. Something simply felt... wrong.

"What's the meaning of these?" he asked, voice dropping to a whisper, but Jongdae only shook his head, urging him to continue on his way by tugging on his skin-tight pant legs. Chanyeol followed, but his gaze kept wandering to the story carved into the walls. First, people had lived in sadness, surrounded by darkness. Then they'd found a light source. They had apparently built a lantern to keep the light in, and then-

The light had grown angry. It was depicted much larger now, free of the constraints of the lantern, the humans close to it paling, carved but not lined with paint. The painting was so simplistic, and yet something about it was utterly haunting. Ignoring the feeble tug on his ankle, Chanyeol slowly came to a halt in front of the next drawing, tilting his head as he tried to understand. A single human stood before the furious, gleaming light. Its mouth was open, and there was a gentle glow floating around it.

In the next carving, the light seemed to be tamed - appeased, Chanyeol's mind supplied - and a small, green stone was given from the light to the human. From then on, the humans surrounding the light were all drawn in emerald paint. Speaking, kneeling, _ worshiping _the light.

Only then did Chanyeol realize that they were in a temple. A temple dedicated to... something. Was the light a metaphor? It shouldn't be, not with how the walls were shining.

He glanced at Jongdae's tail sparkling from beneath the surface. He'd always noticed how it was even prettier than those of every siren Chanyeol had ever laid eyes on, with particles of light dusting every scale.

There was obviously a connection between this temple and the sirens.

And whatever this light was, it couldn't be a figment of people's imagination. Whatever it was, it was real.

"Is all of this," Chanyeol began, gesturing around the room, "part of your folk's history? Is that why we shouldn't be here?"

For a moment, Jongdae looked overwhelmed, helpless even, before he nodded rigorously. Way _ too _rigorously. There was obviously more to it. Jongdae was reacting this way to make him leave, and quite frankly, Chanyeol wanted to leave, anyway. Every surface he touched, fingertips grazing walls and doors, felt prickly in a way stone should not feel. Almost as if he was touching a coral, touching a living being.

The door he opened next was bigger than the others, heavily scraping over the polished floor and revealing what could only be called a citadel. High, ornamented windows were running up the walls, the ocean pressing up against the glass from outside, dark and unforgiving. So dark that Chanyeol couldn't help thinking of it as a night sky waiting for him, luring him out with fresh, crisp air. It was so humid that sweat was running down his neck already.

All the pools seemed to lead here, meeting in this room where only very few, thin bridges led across the water and to the altar in the center of it.

Jongdae's breathing had grown laboured, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with the humidity around them.

Chanyeol swallowed, slowly making his way over one of the bridges. A small gasp, and then Jongdae was gripping his ankles again, almost causing him to fall into the water.

He attempted to shush him, but Jongdae refused to let go.

"I need to cross the room, right?" he whispered, more and more distraught by Jongdae's behaviour. This wasn't just anxiety or apprehension anymore - he looked _ scared_.

Even when Jongdae did let go, he stuck right to him, swimming next to his feet, never straying, never falling behind.

Ahead, the altar was coming closer. It had to be an altar, but there was no statue or any hint as to what it was for. Just a bowl on top of it, seemingly filled with light. Chanyeol's steps slowed down and instead of passing by, he placed a foot on one of the stairs, much to Jongdae's dismay. He heard the water splash in agitation, but the sound was drowned out by that of the light. What kind of sound it was, Chanyeol didn't know. It seemed to hum deep inside him, a low, vibrating hum pressing on his ears from inside.

This was the deity's gift, he thought, looking into the puddle of light. This was what made an ordinary human into one of the sea.

Chanyeol had always loved the sea. And right before him lay option to grow even closer, to become like Jongdae-

Water splashed over his side, spray droplets hitting his cheek, but Chanyeol only leaned down, observing the light, hearing it call out to him. It was alright. He was worthy, _ the light deemed him worthy- _

A hand was grabbing his leg, and Chanyeol jolted. It was Jongdae, leaning over the stone, having left the comfort of water only to stretch towards Chanyeol, to stop him from receiving the blessing.

"It'll be easier to get out of here if I'm like you," Chanyeol muttered, too drawn to the light to even flinch when Jongdae dug his nails into the flesh as hard as he could.

Slowly, he reached out to touch, to taste and-

"No! **Don't**!"

Melodious, clear, and sharp as a knife. Sharp enough to cut through the haze and reach Chanyeol, who stared down at the other in shock.

Jongdae's voice really was beautiful, smooth and steady, even when his eyes were brimming with tears of panic.

"You'll never be free again!"

A rumble went through the ground and they both froze.

Another one followed, a little more insistent, like water rippling under an impact.

Jongdae's shoulders drew up, voice breaking into a whisper.

"It heard me. It knows we're here-"

"Who knows?" Chanyeol asked urgently, kneeling down by Jongdae's side, holding on to the altar when another rumbling went through the temple.

Jongdae slid away from the water, awkwardly pushing himself over dry ground, supported by Chanyeol, wide eyes trained on the water.

"He who owns us. Who wants us back."

As he sat there, in the depths of the ocean, knees pressed into Jongdae's back, frozen in shock, Chanyeol finally understood.

It wasn't that sirens didn’t speak because their haunting voices were able to drive humans insane.

Sirens didn't speak because they were _ terrified_.

Shadows appeared in the water, shadows rippling along the walls like water reflections made of darkness, and Jongdae kept pressing into him.

"Please, please, please-" he whispered over and over again, aimless and scared out of his mind.

Whatever Chanyeol was about to say got stuck in his throat when something dark and slimy shot out of the water, blindly fumbling, reaching for Jongdae-

Chanyeol tugged him back, ripped him out of reach, but there was no way for them to go - the bridges were too thin and there was just no land anywhere, nothing to stop the thing from wrapping its dark appendages around Jongdae's tail, who cried out, clawing into Chanyeol.

His gaze roamed the rapidly darkening temple, when he was struck by an idea.

"We're leaving," Chanyeol yelled into the room, for Jongdae, for the _ thing _to hear.

Another rumble shook the temple and a sudden, violent tug almost ripped Jongdae out of his grasp.

"I can't, I can't, my tail-" Jongdae stammered, whimpering in pain. It was glowing stronger than usual, responding to the age old being. Because it was a part of it.

A gift.

A debt.

Chanyeol swallowed hard, ripping a tool off his belt. It was a knife, sharp enough to cut corals and fish.

Jongdae screamed when the knife first stabbed through his skin, mercilessly slipping between the scales, blood pouring out. He screamed and cried, and Chanyeol almost stopped - but the creature had howled, too, twitching with every drag of the knife, so he kept going. Dragging the metal, cutting open flesh and muscles as he pressed Jongdae's face into his chest, not minding the way he bit and scratched every inch of Chanyeol he could reach. There were no bones in the tail of a siren, it turned out.

By the time he was hacking through the remaining threads, Jongdae was reduced to a whimpering mess and there was blood everywhere. The moment the tail was severed completely, it was the creature beneath them that cried out, a wave of rustling, whispering, cracking sounds enveloping them. Chanyeol saw his chance, dropped the knife and reached for the bowl containing the suspiciously flickering light. With all his might, he threw it into the temple window.

Water immediately burst inside, and Chanyeol dropped to his knees to cradle Jongdae close, whose tears were the only indication that his mind was still with him. He scrambled to put on his fins, never letting go of Jongdae, putting a second regulator to his helmet with practiced efficiency. Water was starting to carry them away, and Chanyeol grabbed his knife to slash at one of the blindly flailing appendages. There was just enough time to throw on his helmet, pressing the breathing regulator to Jongdae's mouth when everything turned into a flurry of water, glass shards and living matter flooding the temple. It was almost impossible to navigate but the sheer panic for the weak body in his arms kept him going, kept him fleeing from the darkness beneath.

Away, past the glass shards, out of the window and towards the surface, as fast as he dared, leaving behind nothing but a trail of blood tinting the water.

Up, up, towards the sun, the sky, towards fresh air. Breaking through the surface felt like breaking through an organic membrane, and for the first time in his life, Chanyeol felt equal parts disgusted and terrified of the ocean. Eager to get out, he heaved Jongdae's body out as carefully as he could, only to drop into the sand next to him. Dull, suffocating, lonely silence was replaced with noise, screams, scrambling motions, and Chanyeol drifted off, fingers loosely intertwined with Jongdae's.

* * *

"Oh no, where did the sun go?" Chanyeol whined, shaking droplets of water out of his hair.

Jongdae seized petting the resident lab cat, leaning back in his chair to look up at Chanyeol, mock unimpressed.

"Why would it be waiting for you if you refuse to appreciate it most of the time?"

"Ah, aren't you mean to me," Chanyeol sighed, but there was no real disappointment to it as he sank on the ground next to Jongdae's sun lounger. Before Jongdae, he'd never thought of spending time in the semi-open garden of the facility. Now, it was the first place he went to whenever he returned from his diving sessions.

Jongdae had taken a liking to it immediately. The variety of plants and flowers had always fascinated him, and so did the sky. Azure, clear, cloudy, tinted orange or dark grey - Jongdae loved the sky.

Unhappy with the sudden lack of attention, the small cat rubbed up to Jongdae's legs, uncaring of their metal nature. Jongdae absently scratched her head and finally stopped altogether, too busy brushing his lips against Chanyeol's, kissing the faint taste of salt away.

Chanyeol sighed into it, kept deepening the kiss until Jongdae broke free to bury his face in the crook of his neck. Old habits died hard. That included the way Chanyeol shuddered at the gesture.

There were some new habits he'd picked up though. Like coaxing Jongdae into singing with him, or taking baths together.

The voices of sirens were indeed hauntingly beautiful.

There were quite a few sirens who lived with their back turned to the sea, but none of them was brave enough to talk like Jongdae, to sigh and hum and laugh like him.

Sometimes, Chanyeol would still catch him staring out of the window, or standing by the beach, gazing out into the waves with a deep, foreign longing pooling in his eyes. His eyes that were still green, dusted with shades of emerald and malachite, forever mirroring the tail he'd once had.

But much like every other siren living on land, he never set foot in the ocean ever again.

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> P.S.: please don't cut corals, they're alive.


End file.
